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high-tech industry and witnessed
outsourcing of jobs, making
stability an important issue. This
desire for job security can be
beneficial to employers because
millennials are thinking long term
and will commit to building a
career with the company.
To retain new talent, Schroeder
says it's essential to foster a welcoming, supportive and inclusive
environment that includes both
seasoned mainframers and new
hires. One recent IBM hire told
Schroeder that, if possible, companies should hire millennials in
pairs so the new employees can
form bonds while helping each
other learn. This forms a team
mentality in which the millennials want to support each other
while training, socializing and
working together.
The Future of
Mainframe
The most important message
companies can give to millennials is that working on the
mainframe platform is relevant,
rewarding and impactful. "I see
a lot of enthusiasm and passion
from recent hires working on the
mainframe," she says. "Millennials can have great careers in
mainframe computing. Hire these
millennials, they will take your
mainframe platforms into the
future."
Schroeder talked to several
recent IBM millennial hires, including Luisa Martinez, Ryan Rawlins
and Lili Tang, to get their insights
into hiring, training and retention.
Brett Martin is a freelance writer
based in Shakopee, Minnesota.
A Millennial View
When Luisa Martinez graduated from
State University of New York at New Paltz
in May 2014, she weighed multiple offers
before accepting a job with a company
following an internship. She soon realized
that working on web development and
in-house applications wasn't as exciting as
she'd hoped. So when a professor from her alma mater let
her know IBM was hiring, she forwarded her resume. In April
2015, she was hired as a software engineer in UNIX* System
Services development.
"I was nervous, not knowing about IBM Z* or OS
development," Martinez says. "It turns out, I didn't have
anything to worry about. The transitioning here has been
great. I love what I do and being part of the mainframe
community. Everyone here is very willing to help."
Martinez enjoys developing and testing OSes, and seeing
how her work affects clients. By attending workshops and
conferences, she's able to meet other millennials who have
similar jobs and talk to customers who use IBM solutions and
beneﬁt from her work.
"People talk about the issues they've had and how we
fixed them. I see the impact of what I do," she says.
-B.M.
IBM Open Badges
Are Transforming
Mainframe
Workforce Training
IBM Z mainframe workforce
competency is vital to ongoing organizational success. As
such, IBM's release of 35 new,
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edge credentials is the most
important change in mainframe
workforce training in decades.
Digital Credentials have revolutionized the way skills and achievements
are assessed and promoted. Unlike
simple digital emblems and logos,
Open Badges are tethered to the
achievement using built-in metadata. Importantly, IBM's new Open
Badges provide organizations with an
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of IBM Z skills and knowledge.
Mainframe organizations
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nization performance through
exponential increases in training participation; completions and results;
and improved retention of mainframe talent as recognition increases
engagement and retention rates,
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cation and benchmarking of IBM Z
mainframe workforce skills.
Mainframe personnel empower
their IBM Z careers by developing a
personal "Z brand," proudly displaying mainframe skills and knowledge
to peers and management via
social media and corporate
communications.
Prestigious and coveted, IBM
Open Badges motivate, improve
and empower mainframe workforces.
To get your organization involved in
the IBM Open Badge Program, learn
more at ibm.biz/badging.
Darren Surch
COO Americas, Interskill Learning
For 25 years, Darren has guided
development and delivery of
online training that empowers IBM Z
mainframe workforces and drives
organizational success.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 // 33

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